Sunday, July 1, 2012

History of the "10 Most Wanted List"

Here are a few highlights from THIS article in today's Los Angeles Times detailing the history of the FBI's '10 Most Wanted List,' which dates to 1949:
  • "Since then, 497 fugitives have made the roster"
  • "[T]he list reflects the changing phenomenon of crime in America. The 1950s: bank robbers, prison escapees and car thieves. The '60s and '70s: anti-war radicals and organized crime figures. The '80s and '90s: drug traffickers and sexual predators. The current era: international terrorism."
  • "About 94% of those on the list have been arrested, a third of them after tips from the public."
  •  "Victor Manuel Gerena, who allegedly handcuffed two of his colleagues and made off with $7 million in their Wells Fargo armored car, has been missing the longest — 28 years. Best guess? Hiding in Cuba."
  • "But what has made the roster so infamous is not the celebrity of those on it. Rather, it became a rogues gallery of sometimes colorful crooks who often got caught in unlikely ways. Take Isaie Aldy Beausoleil, who made the list in 1952 for killing his female companion in Michigan. A year later, he was arrested in a women's public restroom in Chicago, dressed in a blue blouse, green skirt and heels."
     


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